Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Punong Mahistrado ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng Pilipinas
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Incumbent Maria Lourdes Sereno since August 25, 2012
Style	The Honorable (formal) Madam Chief Justice (informal) Your Honor (when addressed directly in court)
Appointer	Presidential appointment upon nomination by the Judicial and Bar Council
Term length	Retirement at the age 70
Inaugural holder	Cayetano Arellano
Formation	June 11, 1901
Website	Official Website

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines (Filipino: Punong Mahistrado ng Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng Pilipinas) presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. The incumbent Chief Justice is Maria Lourdes Sereno, who was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III on August 24, 2012.

The power to appoint the Chief Justice lies with the President, who makes the selection from a list of three nominees prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council. There is no material difference in the process of selecting a Chief Justice from that in the selection of Associate Justices. As with the other Justices of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice is obliged to retire upon reaching the age of 70, otherwise there is no term limit for the Chief Justice. In the 1935 constitution, any person appointed by the president has to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments; in the 1973 constitution, the person whom the president has appointed won't have to go confirmation under the Commission on Appointments.

The Constitution does not ascribe any formal role to the Chief Justice other than as an ex-officio Chairman of the Judicial and Bar Council and as the presiding officer in any impeachment trial of the President. The Chief Justice is also required to personally certify every decision that is rendered by the Court. He or she carries only 1 vote out of 15 in the Court, and is generally regarded, vis-a-vis the other Justices, as the primus inter pares rather than as the administrative superior of the other members of the Court.